Does reflexology actually work? We spun the wheel, took our socks off and found out.

This is the first spin of the Wheel of Well-Being, the new Mind Cake segment where we road-test a wellness practice so you don't have to. The wheel is the spinner from a kids' Game of Life, because we blew the budget on the treatments and couldn't afford a paper plate and cocktail sticks.

In this episode:

• What we expected going in (Paul: his sore back and elbow fixed. Lee: "a glorified, expensive foot rub")
• Paul's Thai foot massage versus Lee's reflexology, and why Lee had to ask his therapist to stop talking
• Whether the foot map holds up. Spoiler: there's no anatomical evidence that spots on your feet connect to your organs
• Why it might still feel brilliant: nervous system relaxation, the gate control theory of pain, and a meta-analysis reporting temporary drops in blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety
• Reflexology versus Thai foot massage: what's actually different
• The verdict: big thumbs up, as long as they press firmly and keep quiet
• What gets spun next: Shakti mat, firewalking, tuning forks and Reiki are all in the running

Got a wellness practice you want us to try? Send it in and it goes on the wheel.

Neither of us is an expert and this isn't medical advice. We're two wallopers wading through the weird and wonderful world of wellbeing.

LINKS

NewsletterBuy Me a Coffee

Mind Cake: Not Self-Help. Just Slightly More Helpful Than Doing Nothing.

And remember, as Dr Jan says: don't be a dick.

WARNING: This episode includes discussion of self-harm, suicide, addiction, and recreational and ceremonial drug use. If any of this affects you, the Samaritans are free to call anytime on 116 123.

Jon Hannan and Lee trained together in construction back in the 90s, back in the day when Jon's idea of a spiritual practice was a Stanley knife and a bottle of gin. Twenty-five years, one police chase, an ayahuasca ceremony in Costa Rica and a shaman in South Africa later, Jon's a very different man.

This one goes to some dark places. Self-harm, addiction, grief ... and comes out the other side somewhere completely unexpected: the Four Agreements, karma, and why your future might actually be your destiny (don't worry, we didn't fully understand it either).

Mind Cake: Not Self-Help. Just Slightly More Helpful Than Doing Nothing.

LINKS

Jon's Facebook Page

Samaritans

The Four Agreements Thingy

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Some conversations can’t be put off forever.

Ahead of Inevitable at Scripts the Thing in Dorchester, Gemma and Anne join me to step inside the world of Brian and Tom.

They perform a 90-second extract from the play while I discover that listening to actors perform something you’ve written, right in front of you, is excruciatingly uncomfortable and apparently best endured by doing a LOT of doodling.

Then we talk about the characters, the comedy, what’s lurking underneath it, and what happens when words you wrote acquire voices of their own.

Tea may be involved. Avoidance definitely is.

LINKS

Script's the Thing - Dorchester⁠

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